STATCOUNTER

Books

I am almost embarrassed to tell you the low, low price Amazon has set for my book during this gift-giving season. But if you have ever considered buying some copies as a gift for clients and colleagues, this might be quite the opportune time.

All You Need Is A Good Idea! is filled with insights that are relevant, informal and practical, helping your colleagues learn to create the ideas they need to stand out in the marketplace, build market share, get publicity, appear larger than they really are and make their competition nervous…while actually having fun.

But don't take just my word for it. Here's what O. Burtch Drake, former president and CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies has to say: “Jay’s fantastic new book is chockfull of illuminating case histories and real-world advice on how to hone and unleash the creative voice from within. Written with clarity and wit, All You Need Is a Good Idea! is one great idea, indeed.”

All You Need Is A Good Idea! can be ordered at Amazon. (There is also a Kindle edition.) Here's the link.

I would be glad to personalize your book(s), and will travel to many locations in Manhattan to do so. Or, if you are in a hurry, just go ahead and sign them yourself.

And for those of you who would also like the Chinese edition (and, really, who wouldn't?) you can order it at amazon.cn.

Happy Holiday.

P.S. There’s nothing wrong with sending the latest Zagat survey, or a bottle of wine. But in these continuing difficult economic times a gift that will help create good marketing ideas might be particularly valued.

I was taking the bus to work the other day and, as I usually do, took along the business section of the New York Times to read during the ride. A man sat down next to me a few stops in, took out his iPhone and started to read a different New York newspaper on it.

Somehow the juxtaposition of my paper and his digital version caught my attention and I looked around the bus. There were two passengers reading physical books, several readying electronic books, and some using earphones and MP3 players (perhaps reading, playing games, listening to music or some combination of it all). But there were no other “paper” paper readers in sight.

Granted, this is not the most scientific of research studies, but it did indicate to me that at least for bus riders on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, physical newspapers were a rarity. Yes, it may be generational, or the relative shortness of the commute, or merely mistaking one bus ride for a trend, but it was worthy of note.

Which brings me, however circuitously, to the following two ads, each for a different e-reader.

In the ad for the Kindle, the arrow on top is pointing to the page on the left, which is the listing of that week’s bestselling books. It points out that in the time you browse the list, you can download an entire book. It also talks about the number of books available at Amazon (though it unfortunately doesn't mention my book’s Kindle version by name). And it does emphasize the various price points of different versions of the reader.

The nook, as a more recent challenger, takes a different, more competitive path. A side-by-side comparison shows its more compact interface, and states that, “Books didn’t need buttons for five centuries. Why start now?” It further adds, “Smaller, lighter and twice the battery life.”

They are both fine ads, though I give a few more points to the aggressive nook, rather than the more generic Kindle, even understanding that as the market leader Amazon has chosen to take the higher ground.

Which ad do you prefer? (And by “prefer” I mean which ad do you think has the better strategy and execution thereof?)

For much of my career, there was a feeling of “Us” against “Them.”“Us” were the marketing folk, the creatives (me). “Them” were the management suits, that felt they knew exactly the advertising and marketing that was required. And they had the charts, graphs and stats to “prove” it.

However, to us right-brain creatives, it was a different story. We wondered how they could believe quantitative methods could be used to make these qualitative judgments. What about intuition, feelings, insights, creativity, all skills of a different sort that years of experience had taught us. And even Einstein believed that imagination is more important than knowledge.There is simply a constant battle that goes on between marketing and management.

Which leads me to a fascinating new book by Al and Laura Reis, WAR IN THE BOARDROOM. Why Left-Brain Management And Right-Brain Marketing Don’t See Eye-To-Eye — And What To Do About It.Each chapter discusses the clash between the two viewpoints. Management, for example is concerned with the “product” and making it better. Marketing cares about the “brand,” and making it different. Management wants to own everything; marketing wants to own one word. Campbells is soup. Listerine is mouthwash. But what is a “Hilton”?

Additionally, management wants to communicate, while marketing wants to position. The authors point out that few of us could really enumerate any meaningful differences between Heinz and Hunts ketchup, or Crest and Colgate or Visa and MasterCard. But you don’t really have to, thanks to the positioning.

Take expansion, to quote from Laura’s blog. Management at almost every company in the world is committed to expanding its line. Such as the U.S. airline industry. Every major carrier offers multiple classes of service and flies both domestic and international routes. That makes sense to a left-brain manager.But not to a right-brain entrepreneur like Herb Kelleher who launched Southwest Airlines, the first “no-frills” airline. Coach only. Domestic only. No food. No pets. No advanced seating reservations. No inter-airline baggage exchange.

There are other examples galore, and my chin kept pounding into my chest I was so busy nodding in agreement. As you will also, if you have an intuitive, creative bone in your body. (OK, make that two bones.)

Full disclosure. If you scroll down Laura’s blog past the 35 speaking engagements around the world, 78 current TV appearances, and a listing of all the many previous books, press clips, honors and Twitter updates, you will find her blog roll, with my book leading the pack. Granted, it is alphabetical, but there it is.Anyway, it is an easy reading, highly recommended, insightful read, and you can order it here

I will point out that there is a $25 dollar minimum to get free shipping, so you might as well buy another book while you’re there, if you think that is a good idea (hint, hint).

My book and my blog are based on one simple premise: When it comes to building a brand, increasing sales, getting publicity—anything that can be affected by your marketing communications—all you need is a good idea.

But I certainly understand that in order for you to be successful there are other business areas that require a degree of awareness and proficiency. (And you certainly understand that there was no way I could call my book, “Among The Things You Need Is A Good Idea!”)

Which brings me to the book I am going to recommend, the first one ever on my blog. The book is “The Small Business Bible,” and I met the author, Steven Strauss, when he moderated a business roundtable I attended last August. The sub-title is, “Everything you need to know to succeed in your small business,” and this turns out not to be hyperbole, but an accurate representation of all that is covered in its 500 pages.

First a little about the author’s credentials. Steve has a syndicated column, "Ask an Expert,” on USATODAY.com. He has a blog titled MrAllBiz. He is also the small business columnist for Microsoft, and AT&T calls him, “America's Small Business Expert.” Plus he is a genuinely nice person.

“The Small Business Bible” provides detailed advice on how to start a business, from the business plan to pricing strategies, franchises to home-based businesses. It then goes on to providing helpful advice on what really works—and what doesn’t—in actually running your business. You’ll gain an understanding of the worlds of accounting, management, and developing growth strategies. You’ll see how to build your web site, create multiple profit centers, and develop a business plan, written in a clear style that is particularly helpful to those who, like me, are numbers impaired. And this second edition is as up to date as green business, flat world and the latest technology advances.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, though I did not realize it till I read the book, not only did my publisher, John Wiley, publish Steve’s book, Steve even had the same editor, Matt Holt. (Good for us!) And in a further coincidence, both our books are available on Amazon.com. (Buy them together and you get free super saver shipping. I’m just saying.)

As you may know, I am a member of BNI International. It is the world's largest business network organization, and basically you go to meetings once a week, and give (and get) referrals for your business. There is more to it than that, such as meeting professionals who can help your clients, seeing first hand how other people run their business, and usually some pretty good coffee.

This week my book is featured on their website, and they say some very nice things about it. Check it out, because I do not know how long the review will be there. (I can easily visualize an endless loop, where you click to get to BNI, find the URL listed there with a link back to my blog, then from here click back on the link to BNI, then...)

The only problem I must admit I have, is not when they talk about giving referrals, or saying it's like publicity for your business. But when they talk about how it is like free, word of mouth advertising, the ad agency owner in me starts to cringe. But since I have gotten some good leads and clients from BNI, I soon get over it. And there is that good coffee.

Last week I was invited to put my book, All You Need Is A Good Idea! onto a book club web site. It is called DearReader, has many categories of books, and readers receive email excerpts of a book over the course of a week. As Suzzane Beecher, the lady who runs the site says, "Sign up for a book club and every day I’ll email you a 5-minute portion of a book. I’ll send a different book each week and you can sample two to three chapters."

(They do emails for libraries to get the word out, and though as an author I guess I am supposed to only care about book stores, I must admit I have always loved libraries, and still do.)

Though I was not the first business book ever selected for their business book club, I was honored to be the first business book to be chosen to be part of their book club forum, where readers interact with the author by leaving comments and reviews. As if that weren't enough to make my head swell, I have been told by them that my book broke the Dear Reader Book Forum record for comments received!

Take a look, if you like, You have till Friday for my book, but there are plenty of other interesting works to get acquainted with.

Paul Simister runs a small business coaching company based in the UK. He often writes about business books, and says he has read many of them; some great, some good and some that should never have been printed.

I am telling you all this because he has posted that he is soon going to review my book, All You Need Is A Good Idea! He warns me, on his blog, (yes, me, specifically), that he is a tough reviewer.

Now, I must admit I am tempted to send him lots of background info, anticipating any possible negatives with a rationale for why I wrote as I did. But I am not going to—let his words fall where they may. And I also intend to share the review with you, warts and all. (Though I may also give my version of the truth. Hey, it is my blog!)

But the point of all this is not (just) to remind you of my book. It is to suggest that you do everything you can to get the word out about your product or service, and do not hesitate because you think you may get a bad review, or be concerned that it might be a damning report or produce unpleasant word of mouth. Get the word out! People, for good or for bad, probably won't remember what specifically was said, but they will hopefully remember your name, at least until the next thing catches their eye. (Which is why marketing is an ongoing event.)

And don't make the mistake I am going to make. Unless it is truly scandalous, bordering on blasphemous, and receives intense media scrutiny, don't bother to respond. (If you have a restaurant that has been closed for health violations, don't take out ads saying you are now open again.) The only people who will notice your response are the ones who did not see the original piece, which you will have now succeeded in bringing to their attention.